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"Why!?" mumbled Kenichi to himself as he sat on a train with Shigure.
Despite not having the seed of terror implanted into him this time, Kenichi had still been forced to go sword hunting with Shigure. The biggest surprise was that Shigure herself had taken it upon herself to force Kenichi to come, stating that it would be a good lesson in using weapons.
Miu had been unhappy with that decision, as she wanted to have a nice private date with Kenichi, as it had been quite a while since they had done something private together, with all the Yomi/Yami business. Sadly, she was out vetoed and outranked by the masters of Ryozanpaku. Shigure had pulled rank, stating that it would give Kenichi more experience with the various types of weapons he was going to see as well as practicing with his chosen weapons. The Elder agreed, though privately it was because he just didn't want to let Kenichi and Miu have their private time. The two were hitting puberty (again), and their mental age was far older than their physical body. Meaning he was afraid that the two might take their relationship 'to the next level', which means increasing the risk of him becoming a great-grandfather. He was still too young to be one!
"Cheer up, at least you're not alone," placated Freya, sitting next to Kenichi.
That's right, for this trip, unlike the past timeline, Freya had decided to hop in on the trip. Having witnessed Shigure in action before, she was more than eager to join in so as to learn something from her. Freya wasn't afraid to admit that her grandfather Danki Kugatachi, no matter how skilled he was, was a little senile from time to time. Not to mention, if she placed her grandfather and Shigure side by side, she had to admit she was leaning towards Shigure as the winner.
Her father and mother, though having learned the basics of the Kugatachi Jou-Jutsu, were not masters as they had no interest in delving further into it. Both were hard-working citizens that had no interest or place in the underground world of martial arts.
So when Kenichi halfheartedly told the Shinpaku Alliance of the trip, Freya called up her college, saying she would be a few days absent, before jumping onto the next train with Shigure and Kenichi. The Valkyries all wanted to join in as soon as they heard their precious Freya-sama was going, but Shigure firmly said no. And by firmly, she used a pair of wooden chopsticks in each hand (handcrafted by Akisame) and proceeded to attack them with it, shredding their clothes and breaking their weapons once more. The girls were forced to run to the nearest bathroom to hide their embarrassment, which was conveniently just a few steps away. It also helped that they had all brought a spare change of clothes, thinking they would be going on the trip.
"So how far are we going?" asked Freya.
"Few... hours," replied Shigure, "Get some... sleep... Wake you up when... we arrive."
"Alright... then why is Shigure-sensei sword hunting?" asked Freya to Kenichi, avoiding eye contact with Shigure, or more specifically, Tochumaru, who had popped out from Shigure's chest.
"It's a long story, but the abridged version is Shigure's father was a famous blacksmith that used to make swords for Yami, though in the end, he stopped as he didn't want to make swords for them. His final work is the sword Shigure uses now. He was famous for knowing the 'secrets of steel' that even modern metallurgy can't compare to. Shigure now hunts down any blades made by her father to stop them from being used for slaughter. Sadly, nowadays, most of her hunts are traps to lure her and kill her and take her sword," sighed Kenichi, "Yet she still jumps in without care, and usually ends up defeating her trappers and taking their sword."
"I see," sweatdropped Freya, wondering what she had just jumped into.
Soon enough, they had reached their destination in an old rural town, seemingly untouched by modern technology and blending in with nature. The air itself felt fresher than the usual stale urban city they were used to. The trio quickly checked into an old inn, and despite its rugged looks, was actually well maintained.
"Ah yes, a room for 3," greeted the innkeeper, who was a rather old man, "Relationship with each other?"
Before Freya or Kenichi could say anything, Shigure answered, "Couples."
The elderly man pointed to Kenichi with both fingers before drawing a line to Freya and Shigure with each individual finger, his eyes widening. He then finished it with a triangle, his eyes widening in shock.
"Oh my, how the eras change, now we have threesome marriages," gasped the elder as he felt his heart starting to go into shock.
"Nononononono!" shouted Freya and Kenichi in panic, trying to defuse the mess Shigure had just caused. It took a good half an hour to convince the innkeeper that they were just relatives traveling together.
It wasn't a minute later that Kenichi scolded Shigure once more for throwing shurikens at what seemed to be the innkeeper's wife when she opened the door to lead them to the onsen.
"Kenichi, aren't you coming?" asked Freya in curiosity as she began to leave the room with Shigure.
"I'm fine, thank you," said Kenichi nervously.
"C'mon, it's not very often that there's an open-air onsen. It's an experience that you shouldn't miss," stated Freya. She continued to prod Kenichi a bit before Kenichi finally opened his mouth.
"It's mixed bathing!"
"So?" questioned Freya, shocking Kenichi for a bit, "We're Japanese! Long as you don't do anything inappropriate in the onsen and follow onsen etiquette, we'll be fine. Now come, I don't want you to miss the experience, otherwise, I'll be using my authority as your 'senpai'."
With that statement, she dragged Kenichi with her to the changing room.
"Ahhh! See, doesn't this feel good?" asked Freya as she sat in the onsen, reveling in the warm water without a care, and without a towel to cover her body, "And the view! I can't believe this place isn't more popular."
"Umm, yea," coughed Kenichi, who had been forced to sit near her, trying to look away from her while at the same time talk to her only looking her in the eyes to show respect. He couldn't help but make a few comparisons between Freya's body and Miu's. Freya had more of a muscular build, with a more evident six-pack on her stomach. He also couldn't help but notice the stark contrast of Freya's skin tone to her aer... Kenichi punched himself for such thoughts.
"Relax, I don't mind if your eyes wander a little, you're a teenager," chuckled Freya as she stretched, "You got a girlfriend, and I can see you're both serious about each other. But this is basic onsen etiquette, be completely nude when soaking in an onsen. I know you won't do anything to betray Miu, and I'd rather not be enemies with her either."
'I am so much more than a teenager,' thought Kenichi, but chose not to voice it. Instead, he turned to see Shigure relaxing in the bath without a care that her chest was floating on the water while Tochumaru was splashing near her chest. He gulped as he adjusted the rather thick towel on his head.
Upon seeing Tochumaru, Freya couldn't help but scoot closer to Kenichi, using him as a shield. She had come to terms that Tochumaru was an intelligent mouse that wouldn't intentionally hurt her, but it didn't help that she was still afraid of mice.
Suddenly, Shigure stood up, revealing to the world her body. Freya raised her eyebrow at this and was about to comment about this change in behavior when she noticed Kenichi tense up, too. Abruptly, three bodies splashed into the water while Shigure dodged an iron weight fundo, letting it crash into the stone behind her. The impact was strong enough to shatter more than half of the boulder.
"No matter how powerful the Mistress of all Weaponry is, being attacked without a weapon... you're as good as dead!" declared the leader of the trio, jerking back the fundo and spinning it while holding the sickle end, revealing himself to use a kusarigama.
Freya couldn't help but gulp nervously as she scanned the attackers. Her own staff was still in her own room, meaning she didn't have anything but her hands to defend herself with. Though she had been training up her hand to hand combat skills, it sadly paled in comparison with her staff technique. She looked at Shigure, who was seemingly also weaponless when the leader's companion attacked with a spear and katana.
"Little Shigure... big crisis," commented Shigure as she undid her hair ribbon, letting it fall into the water while gripping one side of it.
Just as the weapons came in range, Shigure suddenly whipped her ribbon like a whip, smashing it right into her attacker's temples, shattering the sunglasses they had been wearing.
'What!? Amazing, even a piece of ribbon becomes a deadly weapon for her. But is it enough?' questioned Freya inside her mind.
"Just... kidding," stated Shigure as she dodged another attack from the leader, "Did you think I would put my weapon more than 5 meters away from me?"
"What!?" shouted the leader as Shigure's ribbon shot into the seemingly random tree in the middle of the onsen.
With a swift jerk, Shigure's blade came flying towards her, which she easily caught before letting go of the ribbon, slowly unsheathing her blade.
"Damn," cursed the bald katana user, aka Baldy for now, shaking his head to clear out the concussion before landing his eyes on Kenichi and Freya.
'Maybe I can use the kids as a distraction!' thought Baldy as he charged towards them. He never suspected that the only reason he could do so was because Shigure was letting him while she quickly knocked out the spear user while cutting his weapon into pieces.
"Gotcha!" shouted the Baldy just as Kenichi tossed his towel into the Baldy's face.
Baldy instantly swiped the towel away, thinking it was a weak distraction when a meteor hammer smashed into his face.
"I see you're learning," grinned Shigure as Kenichi jerked the meteor hammer back into his hands.
"With you as my master, I'm forced to pick up your habits," sighed Kenichi, spinning the heavy end of his meteor hammer. Kenichi had not been confident to put his weapon 5 meters away like Shigure did, but instead decided to hide it in the heavy towel he had taken in with him.
'I feel... so useless,' gritted Freya in frustration. She had no weapon to use to defend herself, and what hurt her pride was that even Kenichi, who wasn't as fluent in weapon combat as she was, was more prepared than her. Her eyes quickly roamed around, trying to see what could be used as a weapon. The tree was too far away, and she didn't want to damage the onsen view more than needed. As she continued to look, she felt Kenichi's towel drift into her legs.
Freya looked down at the towel before her eyes widened, remembering a certain story from her grandfather. Of how when he had been attacked in the bath, he used a towel as a staff to beat up his opponent.
Quickly grabbing the towel that was already soaked in water, Freya quickly twisted the towel in a spiral, hoping to mimic what her grandfather once said. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to get it to stiffen like a cloth staff as she hoped, but instead decided to grasp both ends of the towel, ready to whip it at her opponent despite her unease.
Luckily, she didn't need to do anything as Shigure quickly knocked Baldy out too, cutting his katana into pieces before knocking him out with the back of her blade. It didn't take long for Shigure to also finish off the leader of the trio.
"Good work," complimented Shigure as she stepped out of the onsen, "We should get ready to go."
"Hai!" nodded Freya and Kenichi as the two quickly obeyed. It was at this point Freya couldn't help but look down at Kenichi before giving him a quick smirk.
"Well, well, looks like Miu might have another weapon to worry about down there," teased Freya, causing Kenichi to blush as he quickly ran into the changing room.
As Freya walked towards the female changing room, she felt Shigure's hand latch onto her shoulder.
"You need more strength and speed in your wrist and arms if you wanted to make a cloth staff," said Shigure, taking the towel from Freya before dipping it into water. Then, with one swift movement, Shigure twisted the towel with just one hand before using the other hand to straighten the twisted towel while also wringing out some excess water, creating a rather solid cloth staff. She handed it to Freya, who could only look at it in awe as she walked into the changing room. Due to her gaze, Freya didn't notice Shigure giving a small fist pump to herself.
Nighttime had fallen while Freya, Shigure, and Kenichi were walking on the mountain route towards the meeting point. The trio was looking over a cliff towards a small temple, where about two dozen people, all wielding weapons and of different nationalities, were waiting to take the head of Shigure Kousaka.
"That's quite a few," murmured Freya as she squinted down.
"The real threat's just about to come," murmured Kenichi back.
Before Shigure or Freya could ask what that meant, another man entered the temple. Shigure's eyes widened as soon as she saw just who had entered.
Back at the temple, a warrior monk named Housouin had been talking to another man wearing a fedora hat named Hakuseki when the huge man appeared behind them.
"Don't tell me," uttered Hakuseki with cold sweat appearing on his face, "You're Yami's Kii Kagero, from the Yami Armed Division! Otherwise known as Iai Kagero!"
Kagero smiled, "Exactly, but I'm not here to disturb any of you, just..."
Kashink
Kagero paused and looked at his hand in curiosity, "Huh. I could've sworn I just heard the voice of tsubanari."
Hakuseki panicked as he quickly felt around his body as soon as he heard the sound of a sword sheathing, looking for any cuts while Housouin looked at him in confusion, asking what was wrong.
"Don't you know? The meaning of Iai Kagero of Tsubanari? When you hear the sound of a sword sheathing, someone's already been sliced to death! That's why he holds the title of Otokoeiaigiri (Supersonic Sword Draw Slash)!" shouted Hakuseki.
Before Housouin could even ask for clarification, his shoulder suddenly burst in pain as he felt something cut into it. He fell down in agony before noticing that not only was his shoulder was cut, but his spear had been whittled to pieces.
"I apologize for that. Your spear was pointed in my direction, so I instinctively reacted to it as a threat. I didn't do it on purpose, so you should be able to survive if you treat the wounds quickly," apologized Kagero.
Though Housouin could survive from the wound, his time as a martial artist had ended. The injury was deep enough that it had cut into the bone. He would never be able to wield his spear the same way ever again.
"Everyone else, please step at least 3 meters away from me," suggested Kagero.
Everyone quickly obeyed, giving him at least 5 meters for safety's sake.
"Ah, I forgot to mention, this is my rule book for others," added Kagero as he pulled out a stack of notes, "Just for the next 10 seconds, you can ignore rule number one as I need to pass them out."
Hakuseki numbly nodded as he accepted the rule book as he quickly began to scan through it. When others began to voice their belief as well, Hakuseki could only voice out that they really should read it.
Don't come near me.
Don't use offensive words
Make sure you read this guide thoroughly.
Words such as 'huge' or 'disgusting' are strictly forbidden
Don't stand behind me.
It was simple but thorough, but more than enough to drive a point in. As if to embellish his rule, two more that had been standing behind him when Kagero turned around were struck down for breaking rule 5. In the end, Kagero took a seat on the temple floor before looking at the remaining fighters, telling them all that he would allow them to have the first strike against Shigure, despite being the one who sent the photo to Shigure and setting up this 'trap'.
Shigure leaned back and sighed, knowing just who Kii Kagero was. It was hard to forget such a face and technique, especially since Kagero had been the one to kill her sparrow friend when she was just a very young girl. He had done it merely to test out his new blade, without any real purpose. Shigure, even with her talent back then, had been unable to even see Kagero draw or sheath his blade. Still, Shigure wasn't going to back down from this challenge. However, it was more dangerous than she expected as she looked over to Freya.
"Don't worry about me, I knew what I was signing up for when I came on this trip," whispered Freya as she looked down the cliff, a bit shaken at the sight of Kagero. Despite trying her best, she couldn't see his attack at all. But she chose this path, and she was going to see it through.
"I don't suppose I can just stay here and watch?" asked Kenichi from behind a boulder, only to get a glare from Shigure, "Yea, I know."
Shigure smiled as she threw a shuriken without looking, striking right at the temple bell. A resounding gong could be heard, alerting all the martial artists that someone, or more specifically Shigure, was here.
"On the cliff," pointed Kagero, prompting several of them to fire arrows at where he pointed.
"Are you two ready?" asked Shigure once more as the trio scooted back to gain cover from the arrows, "Just stay near me... and survive till the end."
Shigure took out her own kusarigama as she began to twirl the fundo end. Freya took out her staff, ready to fight. Kenichi sighed as he pulled out his three sectional staff. This time, however, instead of being made of wood, Shigure had made Kenichi a steel one, crafted personally by herself with the secrets of steel built within it, since she herself knew the tempering process and everything.
"Let's go," ordered Shigure.
"Right!" replied the two as they jumped down the cliff with Shigure.
Freya was treated to a close-up view of how the Mistress of Weapons performed and was amazed. Shigure deflected arrows as they went down while twirling her chain, protecting herself and them. Two men dashed forward to meet her head-on. One was struck down when Shigure threw the fundo into him. Almost at the same time, Shigure threw several shurikens at the other opponent wielding a saber, who blocked it with ease, while pulling the fundo back already. The saber wielder tried to time Shigure's fall with a chop, only to miss as Shigure suddenly stopped falling, momentarily seemingly defying gravity. Freya slightly turned her head to see the sickle end of her weapon latched onto a rock, the chain pulling Shigure back to track the saber user.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Shigure had a tonfa in her hand that she had hidden under her sleeve and smashed it into her opponent's face. Two more tried to attack her, only for Shigure to redirect their attacks into each other with ease and continued forward, letting the two take each other out.
The trio had almost finished jumping off the cliff when Shigure threw her kusarigama into a warrior monk, trapping him against a pillar. The monk panicked when he saw the sickle coming for his face, only for it to seemingly miss and jab into the wooden pillar. However, the fundo end whirled around and smashed into his face, knocking him out.
Shigure finished her entrance by landing right in the middle of the remaining crowd, her sword drawn while Tochumaru, who had been riding on Shigure's head the whole time, had his mouse nunchucks out.
'So this is Ryozanpaku's weapons mistress,' gazed Freya, now knowing that the time her Valkyries had tried to attack Shigure, Shigure herself hadn't gone at it seriously even with a wooden spoon.
Still, they were now in the middle of several attackers, all bloodthirsty for Shigure's head.
"Oh, you don't look like someone who has children," commented Kagero.
"Kenichi is my... disciple... the other... is interning," replied Shigure.
"A disciple of the Prodigy of Sword!?"
"How interesting, how strong is he?"
"He's not using a blade though."
"It doesn't matter, she's the master of all weapons! Meaning this boy could be just as talented!"
"Kukuku, I want to fight him!"
"The girl seems pretty fit for her age, too. She's interning?"
"I didn't think the prodigy accepted interns!"
"She must be just as strong, too!"
'Dammit Shigure, why did you have to throw me in the fire!?' sobbed Kenichi.
"Hey, Uni-head... Remember me?" asked Shigure towards Kagero.
Freya stifled a laugh when she heard that. She couldn't deny that Kagero's hairstyle resembled a sea urchin.
"I don't answer questions if you talk to me like that in that tone," huffed Kagero, "You clearly haven't read my guide."
As the trappers slowly began to move closer to the trio, Shigure whispered, "Kenichi, Freya, if a sword has been properly polished..., you can reflect your enemy's image into your heart."
Many of the attackers scoffed at this, thinking that she was directly teaching them in a combat situation. It was a rather abstract method and considered highly inappropriate. However, Kenichi and Freya understood just what she was hinting at, as did Kagero, though he chose not to comment. Shigure wanted the two to cover her dead angle. Out of the dozen, there were 4 masters besides Kagero that Shigure had some concerns about.
As Shigure shifted so Freya and Kenichi would be covering her dead angle, Kenichi sighed as he was once more facing the armored and masked samurai with a spear and sword. However, this time, there seemed to be two more people at the dead angle. From what Kenichi could sense, they were not as armored as the samurai.
"Freya, you take the two, I'll take the samurai," whispered Kenichi.
Freya grimly nodded in agreement, cold sweat dripping down her face.
'So this is what Kenichi and Miu face. What the underground martial arts masters go through. What a few members of the Shinpaku Alliance have already gone through. Well, I won't fall behind!' thought Freya.
As if acting upon a signal, the armed forces charged in.
Kenichi parried the thrust from the spear with his staff, bouncing off it to charge forward. As soon as Kenichi stepped in, he immediately ducked under his opponent's sword draw. The samurai roared as he held his blade high and slashed down at Kenichi as he quickly held up his 3 prong staff up, using both sides of the staff to help block.
"I'll chop that in half!" roared the samurai as his blade clashed against the staff. To his utter amazement, the staff held with no indents from his slash.
Kenichi grinned as he pushed off the blade and started attacking, swinging his staff at his opponent, who began to block it with his sword.
'What the heck is with that staff?' thought the samurai as he quickly backed off, taking a quick peek at his blade. His eyes widened as he noticed fractures all over the blade, his eyes quickly looking back at Kenichi, who had pulled his staff back, collapsing it so he could hold it with one hand.
Freya herself was doing pretty well. The two opponents weren't master class for sure, letting her experience combat against other weapons. It was pretty rare for her to be able to do so, as everybody else in the Shinpaku Alliance was mainly trained in unarmed combat, her Valkyries excluded.
"Gotcha!" shouted her opponent as she grabbed Freya's staff at the center.
Freya calmly unscrewed her staff, separating it from the middle, catching her opponent by surprise. Without hesitation, Freya used one to block an attack from her other opponent while smashing the other part of her staff into the first one, knocking her out.
"Shit, that thing's detachable?" gaped her other opponent.
The samurai took a quick peek before noticing that Freya was open for him, and so he charged forward. Suddenly, he was pelted with several stones, all hitting the unarmored portion of his body.
"You're fighting me!" shouted Kenichi, throwing up a few stones with his left hand.
"Impudent brat!" shouted the samurai as he tried to cleave Kenichi in half.
As Kenichi jumped back to dodge the cleave, his right arm shot forward, releasing two portions of the staff from his hand. The samurai eyes widened as the staff crashed right into his mask, shattering it into pieces.
"Urg, you!" started the samurai, only to be smacked unconscious by Shigure, who had finished up all her opponents.
"Shit, that's not good," stated Freya's opponent, looking distracted when he noticed he was the only one left.
That left Freya an opening she savagely took, smacking him a few times before he panicked and tried to slash at Freya.
Kugatachi Ryuu: Setsuna
Freya blocked the attack with the pieces of her stave, quickly reconnecting without any hesitation while disarming her opponent, and slammed her staff into her opponent's face, knocking him unconscious.
"It's finally my turn," yawned Kagero as he stood up, "I was getting bored."
"You're the one... who sent this photo... of the katana, right?" asked Shigure, taking out a photo of a sword, "To lure... me out."
Kagero smiled as he confirmed that the photo of his beloved Setsunamaru, his sword, was indeed his. Though when Kagero tried to give Shigure a copy of his rule book, Shigure instantly slashed it into pieces. Then when Shigure tried to see if Kagero remembered her, she confirmed that Kagero had no idea who she was, shouting out "Mi-chan" as a guess before stating that all women looked the same, and that he wasn't interested in them. Kagero, however, was angry that Shigure destroyed his rule book without even reading it, releasing his Ki.
Kenichi immediately jumped back, pulling Freya along with him.
"What are you doi-...," starte Freya, only to trail off when she focused on Kagero, or rather, his reach.
It was huge, encompassing all around him and Shigure, and it would've encompassed the two of them too had Kenichi not pulled them back.
"Hoo, not bad, you noticed my reach," complimented Kagero before turning his attention to Shigure, "Ryozanpaku's Prodigy of weapons and swords… to test your strength, I let those small fries attack you first. But... I'm quite disappointed. You call yourself such a vain title with only this much skill?"
"You'll regret having said that... from today on," voiced Shigure before ordering Tochumaru to back up with Kenichi.
Kagero briefly introduced himself before rapidly attacking Shigure with his supersonic slashes. Freya gasped as she saw the speed at which Kagero was attacking, worried for Shigure. Much to her relief, Shigure seemed neither harmed nor phased by the attack at all, easily blocking the strikes. Then she was shocked once more to see Kagero had been holding back the first time and went even faster.
For Kenichi, he was using Ryusui Seikuken and his mind's eye to read Kagero's attack. Compared to the first time where he couldn't see Kagero's right arm moving, he could see the attack pattern, tracing through the possible paths. Still, this was a fight he didn't want to be in. Compared to the Barbarian Swordsman he had to fight in the other timeline when he rescued Freya's grandfather, Kagero was at a much higher level.
Shigure quickly jumped back to regain the pacing, but Kagero eagerly chased after her to keep his momentum. Freya, Kenichi, and Tochumaru quickly followed just in time to see the two crash into the temple. It was at this time Shigure made her move.
Shigure threw a sai at just the right time, when Kagero sheathed his blade, ready to pull it out again. The sai jammed into the hilt, causing the blade to lock up in the sheath. Kagero jumped back to dodge the quick slash from Shigure, but first blood had been drawn by her when a small cut appeared on his stomach.
Kagero complimented Shigure at the attack while Shigure huffed, declaring while she usually chose not to cut anyone with her blade, he would be the exception. Kagero merely smirked as he unjammed his blade from the sai. The two sword users glared at each other, each ready to attack. The signal came when a ceiling tile fell down towards Kagero, who instantly destroyed it with his sword draw. At that point, Shigure quickly hurled several shurikens.
Kousaka Ryuu Samidare Shuriken
The shurikens all traced different paths, but they targeted Kagero, who easily sliced them in half. The sound and sparks from the shurikens being cut allowed Shigure a chance to get behind Kagero and attempt to cut him, only for Kagero to block that with seeming ease without even turning around, much to Shigure and Freya's surprise. After all, being attacked from behind should've delayed someone's reaction time as well as reach. Shigure quickly caught Kagero's blade in between her blade and kunai, revealing Kagero's secret. He was double-jointed, allowing him a much wider range of movement, to which he took to his advantage as he forced Shigure up into the air.
Hiken: Usuba Kagerou
Shigure was forced to parry and dodge in midair as best she could while Kagero chanted "Shake it!" several times while many slashes and jabs were sent her way.
"Oh no!" gasped Freya in worry as she saw Shigure's kimono being hacked into pieces.
Tochumaru couldn't take it and charged forward with a squeak as a battle cry, hurling his nunchuck at Kagero. Kagero simply flicked it back with a finger from his spare hand, sending it flying back to Tochumaru. Before the nunchuck could even hit Tochumaru, Kenichi's staff was already unfolded, flicking the nunchuck away.
"Hoo, I didn't pay much attention, but that three sectional staff isn't just any metal staff," mused Kagero, a bit distracted from the attempted attack and the save before turning his attention back to Shigure. His eyes widened as he quickly jumped back from Shigure's slash, but he wasn't fast enough as Shigure cut through the strap holding his sheath.
"Amazing," whispered Freya, not having even seen the slash.
Kenichi could only hold his breath as he held Tochumaru, who seemed shaken.
"Kenichi, thank you," sighed Shigure in a breath of relief before glaring back at Kagero, "For the likes of you, I will no longer use my katana's back!"
Kagero responded by using Hiken: Usuba Kagerou, only for Shigure to suddenly dodge and counter, slashing his shoulder.
However, in each of their eyes, Shigure's form suddenly changed, as if her soul and her katana were one and the same, her figure bathed in light. Kagero tried to attack several more times, only for the same thing to happen. Not only that but each time, there seemed to be two duplicates of Shigure. Kagero tried to use speed to counter, only for Shigure to turn and slash right at his head.
"Did she... get him?" gaped Freya.
"... No," replied Kenichi, just barely being able to see the attack, "Shigure cut off what she thought was the most annoying part of his body."
At that moment, Kagero's spiky hair was cut in half, leaving a flat trail. Kagero threw a small temper tantrum, only to declare that he didn't care and that his hair felt lighter. However, when Shigure insulted him by calling him shaved uni head, it hit several marks as they appeared on Kagero's face.
"Little girl, for a moment, I saw your body fusing with the katana! The highest level of sword mastery consists of making the blade a part of your body! The final step would be to fuse with your blade!" shouted Kagero, "You've shown me you can do that. But so can I! After all, Setsunamaru and I love each other so much, making it a piece of cake!"
"Then the one who can become one with the blade wins!" shouted both sword users as they charged towards each other for one final clash. Their souls fused with their blades as they swung their sword.
Shinto Koukenzan
The two stood still, their backs facing each other as they now stood where their opponent's place was. A second later, the sound of chainlinks breaking could be heard as Shigure's chainmail snapped, falling to the ground while her breasts jiggle a little, the kimono failing to hide her chest. Kagero looked at his blade in wonder before turning around, blood starting to flow from his forehead.
"Impossible... You can fuse your blade even better than I can," remarked Kagero.
"This katana is my father's," answered Shigure, "Naturally, my fusion with the blade is the strongest!"
It was then that Kagero finally recognized Shigure as the daughter of the blacksmith who made his sword. Kagero could only chuckle as he remarked that it was why Setsunamaru didn't want to hurt her. It had been during the clash when Kagero had raised his arm, that he felt something stop him for a second. Now he knew the answer. His blade did not want to take the life of its creator's daughter.
A second later, Shigure revealed to them that she had used the back of her blade to merely knock Kagero unconscious.
Freya finally released a breath that she hadn't known she had been holding. She looked down at her staff in wonder. Could she achieve something like what she saw today? Is this how it truly meant for a weapon to be an extension of the body? To fuse with one's weapon? Not even her grandfather seemed to have done so, though she wasn't sure if it was the case of not being able to or just not wanting to show it just yet. Overall, it made Freya's resolve so much stronger. She wouldn't rest until she could achieve the same thing with her staff.
"Come, let's go home," gestured Shigure as she viciously kicked Kagero's arm away to force him to let go of the sword.
As the trio left, far away from the distance, stood Rin Tachibana with a fellow member of Eight Shining Executioner Blade, Mildred Lawrence, the archer of the group.
"You know, I can probably snipe them from here," commented Mildred as she pulled out her bow and arrow, ready to nock it. Her pupula duplex was one of the most significant traits about her, only slightly ahead of her breasts that she barely covered.
"Don't," replied Rin sternly, "Kagero himself sent the challenge, and he lost. It would be dishonorable to attack now."
"And we're just going to let her walk away with another precious sword?" asked Mildred in disbelief.
"There are plenty more that can be found," answered Rin.
"Any of those with the 'secret of steel'?" asked Mildred with a sarcastic tone.
"Enough," growled Rin, "Do not test my patience."
"Alright, alright, I won't shoot," waived Mildred as she tossed her arrow back to her quiver, "So what's the deal anyway?"
"You're the one with the best eyesight. I was mostly curious about your opinion on Shigure and her disciple, the boy."
"Nothing much to say. She's good with a sword and other weapons like you. How good, not too sure. The disciple could use some work, though. Any of our disciples could kill him. Not much talent. Though I will admit he has a good aim for such an average person."
"Perhaps. But my sources tell me that he is much better with his fists than using a weapon. A true student of all of Ryozanpaku, learning both armed and unarmed combat."
"You're shitting me. They're actually going through with that? Well, it'll be interesting how that goes. He can't be stronger than most of the disciples in Yami."
'How little you know,' hummed Rin to himself. He had witnessed Kenichi fight Gorobe, and with that monstrous Ki as well as that control, it wouldn't take long for Kenichi to truly start mastering weapons. Rin debated on sending his disciple to Koryu High upon hearing how most of Yomi's unarmed martial artists had decided to transfer there. In the end, he had decided not to do so. Though he might decide to do so after this debacle.
"Let's go. And remember," warned Rin.
"Yea, yea, I'll keep my mouth shut," huffed Mildred, "I'm not an idiot like Mihai."
Upon returning to Ryozanpaku, Shigure sat in her room, staring at Setsunamaru, which was currently tied to a pole and standing upright. In a flash, Shigure's blade swung, only to halt right before cutting the blade at a weak point. For some reason, it didn't feel right to destroy it.
"Father's... legacy, huh," hummed Shigure, recalling Kenichi's words when she had told him that she had planned to destroy the blade.
In the end, Shigure decided to place the blade away in a hidden compartment in her room. As she did, she took out another sword in its sheath. Shigure lifted the blade up to her face, slowly drawing the blade out of its sheath, revealing shining steel. It was another blade that contained the secret of steel, once more made by Shigure herself that nobody knew about. Yet this particular blade had a peculiar perk to it.
"Someday soon," whispered Shigure as she sheathed the sword back in once more, putting it away. It would soon find a master when the time was ready.
"Wow! It's the beach camp trip this year," commented Makoto, "But eww, we have to swim with the boys!"
"They're not all bad, look at Kenichi and Sho," smiled Izumi.
"Hoo, you interested in looking at Sho in a swimsuit?" teased Makoto.
"No!?" blushed Izumi, her face turning crimson.
"Hey, Kano! You're going to the beach camp, right?" shouted Makoto, turning to Sho, who had been walking down the hall.
"Huh? Oh, maybe," shrugged Sho, "Gotta check with my mas-... family on some stuff."
"Aww, if you don't come, it'll make Izumi sad," grinned Makoto, pointing to a still crimson Izumi, "You wouldn't want to do that, would you?"
"I... uh...," gulped Sho, "Oh look, is that Shirahama? He's back from whatever trip he went on!"
Kenichi had indeed arrived, having turned in an excuse of absence to the principle.
"Oh, so he is," nodded Makoto.
"Kenichi, is everything alright?" asked Izumi, quickly trotting to him.
"Nothing serious, just a family gathering for something," smiled Kenichi.
"Why don't you tell me all about it?" grinned Sho as he placed his arm over Kenichi's shoulder, "It had something to do with the group, didn't it?"
"Like I'd tell you," huffed Kenichi as he brushed off Sho's arm.
"So mean," pouted Sho.
"Why are you following me?" asked Kenichi as he continued to walk towards the chemistry room, leaving Makoto and Izumi to themselves.
"Why not? I'm kinda bored, and I still need to pester you about where you went," shrugged Sho.
Suddenly, Sho's phone vibrated, prompting him to pick it up.
"Hello? Yea? Hold on, I'm in public, let me get to a private area."
Sho gave Kenichi a glare, using two fingers to gesture from his eyes to Kenichi to signal that Sho was still watching him as he left.
Kenichi shrugged as he continued to head to the chemistry room, where the Shinpaku Alliance would meet up. He had to catch up with what had happened while he was gone.
With Yomi, they were still blending into the school as usual. Rachel had decided to insert herself into the basketball club's game against another school and was dominating the field. One would have thought with Rachel's chest size that her ability to move side to side rapidly would be hindered, but she proved that she had no problems with such things at all. She even began doing slam dunks, as if to prove a point. Ethan was left on the side as part of the cheer squad, raising his pom-poms in silent cheer.
Tirawit, unlike the last timeline, opted to stay at Koryo even after failing the plan. He wanted to observe Kenichi and the others to gain more insight. Chikage was still crushing the Go club as usual. The club adviser had advised Chikage to become an Insei for Go, and then go Pro, seeing the talent Chikage had. Chikage ignored him, and instead, chose to focus on something even more important than Go, possibly just below her training with her master. Learning to master MahJong and Othello so she could crush her rivals that handed her humiliating defeats, one after another.
Boris was aiding Kyoko, one of the teachers, with the up and coming beach camp. Despite being very clumsy most of the time, Kyoko was able to answer Boris's question without hesitation or stammer before dismissing him to pass out the fliers to the rest of the second years.
'What a perfect opportunity!' thought Boris, 'Now I just have to wait for my master's orders!'
Boris hurriedly scurried off to report to his master. If they did this right, they could defeat Ryozanpaku's disciple.
"You serious?" hissed Sho into his phone, "Why are they asking about Ryozanpaku's disciple? What do they want?"
"Sho-sama, please calm down," replied Hayami, "We are a part of the same organization."
"Who hates each other's guys," shot back Sho, "I don't care if we are the 'same' side. The unarmed division and the armed division have never gotten along in the past. So why are they interested in us now?"
"Hold on... Seto's pulling up something... Ah, here we go. Recently, there have been a string of weapon thefts from Yami's weapon division. Some of these weapons had the 'secret of steel' in them. All of them have one thing in common, though. They all sent a photo of their weapon to someone to lure them into a trap, only to be defeated and their weapon either taken away or broken into pieces," read Hayami out loud.
"Ha! Serves those idiots right. Once they lose their weapon, they're powerless," laughed Sho.
"Continuing on, one of these weapons was taken from a rather high ranking member in the Yami's armed division just a few days ago. There's more information, but it's been edited out," continued Hayami.
"A few days ago... Ryozanpaku's disciple was out a few days ago... Hayami, are the ones who lost their weapons alive? And their injuries, do they seem to be from a weapon?" asked Sho.
"Yes to both, though why do you ask?" asked Hayami.
"Then it's a Katsujinken member. Maybe even Ryozanpaku's master. I remember that there is a weapons master by the name of... Shigure something. It's probably her. Shirahama was gone a few days ago. The time matches... he's probably also her disciple, too. Kensei did note that Shirahama knew both unarmed and armed combat. It wouldn't be too far out to bring her disciple to gain experience," theorized Sho.
"As expected, nothing gets past you, Sho-sama!" praised Hayami, "We-"
"Yea, yea, skip past that," interrupted Sho, "So what are they planning to do?"
"Not too sure yet, they're only asking around right now," shrugged Seto, pulling the phone off of Hayami, "We'll keep you updated more about this when we get more information."
Sho nodded as he hung up the phone and began to walk towards the gardening room. He felt like taking a nap, and nothing was more peaceful than a nap there for some reason.
Soon, all the Koryo High 2nd Years were on the beach for the beach camp. Each of them was enjoying themselves, relaxing and/or swimming, all wearing their school-issued swimsuit. Well, most of them were. Rachel was using this event to garner more attention by wearing a white bikini that emphasized her chest as well as her slim waist and long legs. The bikini top itself seemed to strain just holding back Rachel's breasts. She soaked up the envy, the admiration, those drooling looks as she posed in the sun. Of course, when asked why she wasn't wearing the school-issued one-piece swimsuit, she merely replied that it hadn't arrived yet. This was true, as the swimsuit the high school had issued her was too small for her chest. Both Miu and Renka had the same problem back in their first year and had to get their school swimsuit custom made for their size.
Currently supervising them all were the principal Fukujiro Yasunaga, Kyoko Ono, Taiki, and a few other teachers.
A splash in the ocean, followed by a wave of awed voices, took away the attention Rachel had been basking in as everyone gazed at Miu swimming in the ocean like a dolphin. Not only were they impressed by her body, but the style, beauty, and grace she demonstrated as she swam, flipping in the air when she launched herself out of the water.
"Tch, she's preventing me from showing off," growled Rachel as she clucked her tongue.
Another crowd of awe could be heard, prompting Rachel to turn to the source of it.
"Renka, what are you wearing!?" asked a female classmate as she covered her face, blushing as she did so.
"My swimsuit," replied Renka without hesitation.
"Where's your school-issued one?" asked another.
"Oh, the shoulder strap snapped off, so I had to order a new one. However, it didn't get finished before this trip," responded Renka, "So I went with this."
Renka was wearing a pink two-piece swimsuit that was just as skimpy as Rachel's though designed slightly differently. Holding the top piece was a logo of a yin yang button.
Tanaka and Shimayama whispered to themselves on the side, debating on which one of the three high school idols of Koryo High was the hottest. That meeting was disrupted by Boris, though not before shooting a few snide remarks at him before fleeing at the sight of his muscular body.
"Kyaa, look at their bodies!" screamed a girl, pointing to the other members of Yomi. Ethan's build was more akin to a bodybuilder like Boris while Sho's and Tirawit's body were leaner. Overall, though, each one of them was more muscular than the average high school student. Adding to their looks, it made them one of the most attractive male students in Koryo High.
Kenichi was also muscular like them, even leaner than Sho and Tirawit due to Akisame's specialized muscle training, but he wasn't on the list as it was public knowledge that Miu and Kenichi were together.
Soon enough, the males of the second year class were at the starting line, getting ready to compete in the long-distance swimming. Natsu sat out of the competition, stating that his body couldn't handle sunshine. He himself was wearing jeans and a sweater, covering his whole body and face.
"Who you trying to fool?" grinned Renka as she promptly glomped Natsu, placing her chest on top of Natsu's head.
"Will you get off? Those useless lumps of fat are weighing my neck down," growled Natsu in irritation.
"One, they're not useless, and two, you're secretly enjoying this, aren't you pervert?" argued Renka.
Natsu was very tempted to break character and slap Renka off, but with everyone here, he couldn't do so. As he looked to the competitors, he noticed both Kenichi and Sho looking at him with a teasing grin, their eyes crinkled in amusement as they both gave a "Fu Fu" laugh once more.
"I. Will. Kill. You!" grunted Natsu towards the two as they waved at him.
Shortly after everyone got in line, Fukujiro raised the starter pistol up in the air.
"Are you ready? Go!" shouted Fukujiro as he fired the pistol.
All the boys rushed out into the water, eager to get a head start. Yet soon, it became clear just who was leading the pack. All of Yomi, Kenichi, and much to Yomi's surprise, Niijima were all meters ahead of the pack.
"Impossible! How is it I, Isui Junto, captain of the swim team, unable to catch up to them!?" bemoaned one of the males, feeling his dreams being drowned.
"Haha, you're pretty fast, aren't you?" laughed Sho as he saw Kenichi was keeping pace.
Kenichi merely smirked as he began to pick up the pace. Seeing Sho alive in this timeline to actually live past the DFOD was certainly a new experience. True, it was annoying to see Sho hit on Miu, but lately, even that had decreased quite a bit. Though inversely, his time spending at the garden club room had increased.
Back at the shores, the girls were all cheering for whomever they supported. Soon, Kenichi began to pull ahead of them all.
"Go Kenichi!" shouted Miu in excitement.
"Kano-san, you can do it!" shouted Izumi after debating who to cheer for. In the end, she decided for Sho as Kenichi already had someone.
Hearing Izumi call out his name somehow motivated Sho even further, quickly pulling ahead of his fellow Yomi members.
"It's a tight race between Shirahama and Kano!" exclaimed a student as the two began to pull forward even more.
Soon, the students were cheering on the two, betting on who would finish first.
"Oooohhhhh!" roared Sho and Kenichi as accelerated towards the finish.
"It's going to be close!" shouted another.
"The winner is... Niijima!?" blinked Fukijiro in surprise.
Indeed, just as the two had been closing in on the finish line, Niijima flew right past them and hit the shores first.
"The hell?" gaped Sho, unable to grasp the fact he had just lost to a mere civilian, to someone who, on the information they had about him, was not a martial artist.
"Kekeke, if it comes to running away, there's nobody faster than me!" bragged Niijima as he posed in front of them.
Now that Sho and the other members of Yomi, who had reached the shores, looked at Niijima, they found that Niijima had a much leaner body than expected of an average Japanese student. Indeed, compared to the majority of the students, Niijima's muscles were more firm. The reason for this lean build? It was so Niijima could run away from enemies faster. Especially from master class fighters. All of his muscles were built for explosive speed... for running away. He was also very fast in the water as well, considering his nickname was Kappa.
"Who were you running from?" asked Kenichi.
"Oh, I just imagined I was running from Koukin," shrugged Niijima, pointing to the disgruntled Thai student.
As night fell, Boris tried to gain more intel about the students he needed to spy on/eliminate. He, however, found it rather difficult, especially against Niijima. It grated on Boris's nerve that a civilian could put him and his private troops that his master, Alexander, had lent him, on their toes when spying on him. Boris was also surprised that his homeroom teacher, Kyoko, could somehow always sneak up on him, even with his senses heightened. Though if he was to admit it, he had a rather soft spot for the teacher who seemed so clumsy and helpless without his help.
'Yomi only obeys his master's orders! There is no place for consciousness. No time for one's own thoughts. No place for feelings! Tomorrow, I myself will eliminate Shirahama or die trying, along with anyone related to him, then return to base. That's all!' thought Boris as he ran out into the night.
"So it's soon," muttered Kenichi as he bit into his meal, "I was hoping that a show of force would deter Boris, but it seems like he's still stubborn enough to proceed with his mission."
"Nothing we could really do," frowned Miu, "He's surprisingly stubborn on following his mission unless otherwise ordered to desist from the higher chain of command."
"Feh, we're ready," grinned Niijima as he sat down next to them, "My loyal minion Siegfried has already been counter-spying on them from the start."
"Oy, Shirahama," hissed Natsu as he sat down next to them, "You are aware that we're surrounded, right?"
"It's hard not to notice," sighed Kenichi as he looked over to the trees. Ever since he learned Ki no Shouka, he had been more sensitive to his surroundings.
"We should take them on now!" grinned Renka.
"Not a good idea," shot down Niijima, "Even if we know that they're hunting us, we can't make the first move, otherwise it might create a political scandal. No, we'll have to take them out in the shadows while they try to do the same."
He didn't want to mention that he already had a general idea where each force would be and strike tomorrow morning.
Boris sighed as he finished his message with his master. It was quite an experience, learning to meld with common people. He had no idea that regular people didn't try to hunt snakes for rations. And considering that this was a country that loved Shirako, aka fish sperm sac, he thought that was more off than he expected. When his master ordered him to finish and come back, Boris couldn't help but let his mind wander in melancholy.
"What are you doing~~?" sang Kyoko as she tried to karate chop Boris in the head, albeit very slowly.
"дерьмо!" cursed Boris in Russian, 'Is it because she has no killing intent? Or that's she's not a threat at all? I cannot even sense her presence!'
Kyoko smiled as she asked if Boris had a group, to which he replied that he would be alone.
"Ehhh!? You can't do that! All the other exchange students are already blending in!" exclaimed Kyoko.
It was true. Rachel was talking with two girls, Ethan was accompanying two other girls while carrying their bags, Tirawit was with a random girl and guy, and Sho was paired with Makoto and Izumi. Of course, when Kyoko tried to ask if any of the groups were willing to take Boris into their group, she was met with cold silence, driving Kyoko with worry. In the end, she shoved Boris with Tanaka and Shimayama. Right next to them, Natsu was with Renka and two other fangirls.
"Why am I with you?" hissed Natsu.
"Because you know you want me to be with you," teased Renka, "That, and to distract the two girls when needed."
Boris took on a stern look as he slowly but subtly raised his hand, where a small communication earpiece was hidden inside the palm of his hand.
'Hesitation cripples the mind!' thought Boris to himself as he breathed out the words, "Begin the operation."
Meanwhile, in Russia, at a military base, two guards were standing at the entrance when they noticed someone with a hat walking towards them.
[Who are you! Freeze!] demanded the guard.
[This cold weather might affect the joints,] warned the stranger in Russian before suddenly rushing in, knocking the two guards out. Not only that, but he forcefully pushed the hands into the fence to force their bodies to remain upright and rigid, as if standing guard, thus fooling the surveillance cameras.
"To ease the pain as much as possible, I've swiftly knocked you out. After all, all you ordinary soldiers aren't guilty," said the stranger, lifting his hat to reveal himself as Akisame, "The sinister seed of Yami dwells here. Fist of Destruction, Alexander Gaider. An army is a toy that is too dangerous for you - ACHOO!"
Two patrolling guards that had been walking by quickly turned to the source of the voice, only to see nobody there. Confused, the patrol decided to resume their route. Hidden in the shadows up in the tunnel, Akisame could only mutter how he hated the cold.
In the end, I decided to have the sword hunt arc included as a way to get Freya some training, too. Next up, the aftermath of the camp arc! See what changes are going to happen muhahaha!
Hope you've enjoyed the chapter!